Thread: EPA regulations force Ga. power company to shut down coal-fired generators

This is what happens when a small percentage of people with an agenda take over the government. There will be a lot more of this in the next 4 years. Of course Obama supporters, who are subsidized, through tax revenue, for their power needs will not be affected. JMO

EPA regulations force Ga. power company to shut down coal-fired generators

1:24 PM 01/07/2013


Michael Bastasch



Stricter environmental regulations have led to Georgia Power asking state regulators for permission to shut down 15 coal-fired and oil-fired generators, totaling more than 2,000 megawatts of electricity generating capacity.

The company expects to ask for decertification most of the coal-fired units by April 16, 2015 — the effective date that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics rule will go into effect.

The company expects to seek a one-year extension for MATS compliance for their Plant Kraft, and retire those units one-year later.

The EPA estimated annual costs of compliance of MATs would be $10.2 billion.
“We recognize the significant impact that these retirements will have on the local communities and we took that into account when making these decisions,” said Paul Bowers, president and CEO of Georgia Power.

“These decisions were made after extensive analysis and are necessary in order for us to maintain our commitment to provide the most reliable and affordable electricity to our customers,” he added.

The company cited several factors for the shutdowns, including the compliance costs for current and future environmental regulations, as well as economic conditions and low natural gas prices.

“We are in the midst of a significant transition in our fleet that will result in a more diverse fuel portfolio — including nuclear, 21st century coal, natural gas, renewables and energy efficiency — to ensure we maintain our commitment for generations to come,” Bowers said.

The company also requested that two units at one power plant be switched from coal to natural gas, and said that a conversion from one unit at another power plant from coal to biomass could not be finished before 2017.

Georgia Power said it’s installing additional environmental controls to comply with environmental regulations at the remaining coal-fired generators.

Reuters reports that U.S. generators have announced to shut down 40,000 megawatts of coal-fired power plants over the past few years due to cheap natural gas and stricter environmental regulations. Low natural gas prices have made companies unwilling to spend millions upgrading emissions systems to meet ever increasing federal and state environmental regulations.

A study conducted by National Economic Research Associates for the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity found that over the next four years companies will be forced to shut down between 54,000 and 69,000 megawatts of coal-fueled electricity generation, mainly due to the EPA regulations.

The study estimated the compliance costs would force electricity generators to spend $15 billion to $16.7 billion annually over the next two decades.

State regulators are expected to vote on the company’s decertification request this summer.

Read more: EPA forces power company to shut down coal-fired generators | The Daily Caller

Report: Up to 17,000 jobs lost from coal plant shutdowns

12:14 PM 10/04/2012

With 205 coal-fired generators shutting down in the coming years due to increased competition from cheap natural gas and stricter environmental regulations, costing the U.S. between 13,000 and 17,000 jobs, according to the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity.

“Most of these plant shutdowns are expected to occur by 2015 and will result in direct job losses at the plants, as well as indirect and induced jobs lost in the communities where the plants operate,” according to ACCCE.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 of the job losses will be due to coal plant shutdowns directly, according to ACCCE. Adding in state-based employment multipliers from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the total job loss from coal plant retirements is projected to be between 12,700 and 16,600 — a conservative estimate the group notes.

States that will see the biggest job losses are Ohio and Pennsylvania — each losing about 3,000 jobs due to coal plant closures.

Coal plants and mines all over coal-country have already been affected by companies scaling back operations and laying off workers.

In February, GenOn announced it was shuttering 13 percent of its generating capacity — mostly in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New jersey — by 2015 due to new environmental regulations.

Over the summer, OhioAmerican Energy Inc., a subsidiary of Murray Energy Corp., announced layoffs in Ohio after five years of operation and that about 50 employees would be affected.

Also, PBS Coals Inc. and its affiliate, RoxCoal Inc. laid off 225 workers working in deep and surface mines in July, citing low demand and aggressive regulations.

Last month, coal company Alpha Natural Resources announced it would be laying off 1,200 workers and closing eight coal mines in Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania to face two new challenges: cheap natural gas and “a regulatory environment that’s aggressively aimed at constraining the use of coal.”

Congressional Republicans say the Obama administration launched a “war on coal.”
“Since taking office, the Obama Administration has waged a multi-front war on coal — on coal jobs, on the small businesses in the mining supply chain, and on the low-cost energy that millions of Americans rely upon,” said Washington Republican Rep. Doc Hastings on the House floor.

However, the administration and congressional Democrats have pushed back, saying coal’s primary problem is cheap natural gas, not regulations.

“So in my opinion the problem for coal right now is entirely economic,” EPA Chief Administrator Lisa Jackson told the Guardian in June. “The natural gas that this country has and is continuing to develop is cheaper right now on average. And so people who are making investment decisions are not unmindful of that — how could you expect them to be?”

“It just happens that at the same time, these rules are coming in place that make it clear that you cannot continue to operate a 30-, 40-, or 50-year old plant and not control the pollution that comes with it,” Jackson continued.

“The Republicans are saying there is a war on coal, but the only battle coal is losing is in the free market to natural gas,” Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts said.
Despite veto threats from the President, the Republican-controlled House voted 233 to 175 for the Stop the War on Coal Act, passing a bill that would limit the EPA’s regulatory authority over greenhouse gases and limit the Interior Department’s ability to issue coal mining rules.
Read more: Report: Up to 17,000 jobs lost from coal plant shutdowns | The Daily Caller

Report: More than 200 coal-fired generators slated for shutdown

11:29 PM 09/21/2012

Michael Bastasch

Within the next three to five years, more than 200 coal-fired electric generating units will be shut down across 25 states due to EPA regulations and factors including cheap natural gas, according to a new report by the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE).

“This is further evidence that EPA is waging a war on coal, and a war on affordable electricity prices and jobs. EPA continues to ignore the damage that its new regulations are causing to the U.S. economy and to states that depend on coal for jobs and affordable electricity,” said Mike Duncan, president and CEO of ACCCE, in a statement.
However, ACCCE notes that EPA policies may have played a role more than 4,800 megawatts of announced closures not included on in their report which would bring total shutdowns to 241 coal generator in 30 states — more than 36,000 MW of electric generation or 11 percent of the U.S. coal fleet.

The most affected states include Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina, which will see a combined 103 coal-fired generators shut down.
“Actually our utility rates are higher and the impact is such that it’s going to interfere with the quality of life that a lot of individuals have in my community,” said John McNeil, mayor of Red Springs, N.C., in an ACCCE video — one of the heavily affected states.
According to ACCCE, coal provides more than half of North Carolina’s power. Poorer areas, like Red Springs, where a number of residents are on fixed income or live below the poverty line, are adversely affected by higher electricity bills because they eat up a greater portion of their income.

“During my lifetime, Red Springs has gone through some fairly significant changes. We don’t have the large textile plants which provide employments opportunities for many people. We’ve just shifted away,” said John Roberts of John’s Fuel Service, also in Red Springs.

“Most people, their income is fixed,” Roberts continued.

“They can’t say ‘hey, I need fourteen dollars an hour as compared to twelve an hour to offset my energy price,’” he argued.

On Friday, the coal industry caught a slight break as the House voted 233 to 175 to stop the Obama administration’s so-called “war on coal,” passing a bill that would limit the EPA’s regulatory authority over greenhouse gases and limit the Interior Department’s ability to issue coal mining rules.

“Since taking office, the Obama Administration has waged a multi-front war on coal — on coal jobs, on the small businesses in the mining supply chain, and on the low-cost energy that millions of Americans rely upon,” said Washington Republican Rep. Doc Hastings on the House floor Thursday.

Earlier this week, coal company Alpha Natural Resources announced it would be laying off 1,200 workers and closing eight coal mines to face two new challenges: cheap natural gas and “a regulatory environment that’s aggressively aimed at constraining the use of coal.”

“These lost jobs aren’t random events — they are the direct result of the policies and actions of the Obama Administration — these are the outcomes of their regulatory war on coal,” Hastings added.
Read more: Rpt: More than 200 coal-fired generators slated for shutdown | The Daily Caller